Rachel posted a link. at 11:53am on April 10
Support Colombian Flower Workers this Mother's Day!
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Next time you are at the grocery, you can help us support Colombian flower workers.
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| Category: | Human Services - Employment and Occupations |
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Unlike underpants, avocados, and toy helicopters, flowers aren't "branded." This doesn't mean that they don't have a brand, but that those brands aren't labelled. Strange, isn't it? Sometimes you can find a label with the country the flower was grown in, but almost never is the name of a company or distributor attached in any way to a cut flower you buy at the grocery or florist. This is a real obstacle for people in the US trying to support flower workers. When problems arise on plantations and we want to contact the U.S. retailer to deal with it, we are at a loss. They leave the plantation and go straight into the abyss of the global economy. But no more, my friends. Today, you can help us change this. We've tried calling the corporate headquarters of many of the major supermarket chains that sell flowers. They tell us many things, like, "that is private company information." But occasionally they ssay, "you could check with your local grocer." That's where you come in. Next time you are at the grocery store, check out the cut flowers section. Look for any kind of label you can find to get information about the flowers. We are specifically looking for brands for Colombian flowers, but it would be interesting to know, for example, if all flower sold at a particular chain are from California, or Ecuador. Can't find anything? That's okay. It's your right as a consumer to know who sells the products you buy. So just ask a manager, "what brands or distributors does (store name) purchase it's fresh flowers from?" Have a pen ready and write down whatever they'll tell you. Then, come back to this page and post what you've found. Tell us the name of the grocery store and location, when you visited it, and what they told you. And remember, just because one person who posted went to a Costco in Arizona, doesn't mean you shouldn't go to one in Minnesota. So get to work, investigators! Here's some info about the issues faced by Colombian flower workers: Being a worker on a Colombian flower plantation is a tough job. Most Colombian flower workers are women, they work long hours, especially leading up to Mother's Day and Valentine's Day. They get paid the minimum wage, are often treated poorly by management, and live in fear that they will lose their jobs. They suffer from a variety of health problems due to repetitive motions, standing for long hours, not being allowed to use the bathroom, and over-exposure to pesticides. Please take a few moments and call, email, or write a letter to Dole Fresh Flowers, who owns 20% of the Colombian flower industry. Call Dole Foods and demand that they negotiate with the workers on the Fragancia Flower Plantation in Colombia at 800.356.3111 or, Send a letter through our website at http://usleap.org/node/383 . |
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